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ing. At the end of the year the plants showed no signs of 

 seeding. 



Tephrosia purpurea. — The remarks referring to Te- 

 phrosia Candida may also be said to apply to this plant in 

 every detail. The only difference noticeable so far, is that 

 within three months of sowing the plants of this species 

 flowered and carried a fair crop of seed. 



In this way the former plant possesses an advantage 

 over the latter, as the longer the fruiting season of green 

 manure or cover plant is delayed, the better suited is the 

 plant for its purpose. 



Passiflora fcetida. — Several experiments with this 

 plant, which has the reputation of being able to kill out 

 lalang, have been commenced during the year. 



In Batu Tiga a field of old lalang was taken up and 

 rentices six feet wide were cut through, changkolled, and 

 planted with passiflora, six feet of lalang was left between 

 each rentice. It is hoped that the passiflora will be able to 

 eventually smother down the lalang. Records of progress 

 in this direction are being kept. 



Early in the year a plot of one acre of hilly lalang land 

 was changkolled over and planted with passiflora about two 

 feet apart every way, the plants all struck and appeared 

 quite healthy, but subsequent growth was very slow, and 

 the result, on the whole, disappointing; at the end of the 

 nine months the ground was not nearly covered. Another 

 acre was tried on clean hilly land with a view of testing its 

 suitability for preventing weeds and stopping wash in rainy 

 weather. In this case also the plants made poor progress. 



My experience of this plant is that on lo wiving land, 

 continually moist, it make rapid progress, but that in places 

 where the ground is at all hard and it is subjected to 

 occasional period of drought, its growth is so slow that it is 

 not worth while planting it, especially when subjects like 

 crotalaria or tephrosia (the latter for preference) are avail- 

 able. 



Plots of various peas, bought from Tamil kedais, were 

 also tried for green manure purposes, but results were not 

 satisfactory, chiefly owing to the seed being too old and 

 having lost its germinating power. 



Abrus precatorius. — Still another cover plant which 

 has been under observation during the year is Abrus pre- 

 catorius (crabs-eye), a leguminous plant of prostrate or 

 climbing habit, the plant Lies close to the ground when there 

 is no support, but quickly climbs over any support it comes 

 in contact with. In structure the leaves somewhat re- 



